Many different medical protocols require a surgeon to access a lumen, or organ, with a body. One frequent occurring protocol is the need to supply nutritional directly to the gastrointestinal tract.
Various techniques for providing nutritional to a subject are in widespread use in hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities. Most techniques include either feeding the subject intravenously or directly into the gastrointestinal tract through the mouth. Protocol for certain medical conditions calls for feeding directly into the gastrointestinal tract, rather than into a vein. Most of these conditions involve inserting a tube through the nose or mouth into the esophagus. However, certain known techniques are not available in specific cases due to a surgically altered anatomy, a gastric outlet obstruction, or an increased risk of gastro-respiratory reflux. These and certain other conditions require direct jejunal feeding.
Conventional jejunal feeding methods include a naso-jejunal tube, a surgical jejunostomy, interventional radiologic jejunostomy and direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunal system. The naso-jejunal tube is uncomfortable, visually not appealing, and has a tendency to clog. The surgical jejunostomy and interventional radiologic jejunostomy can be effective procedures, but are prohibitively expensive. The direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunal procedure is technically challenging and beyond the comfortable skill range of many surgeons. Specifically, the lumen, or cavity of the tubular-shaped bowels, is not fixed during the procedure, making properly inserted without injury or undesirable effects difficult.
The present invention provides a new and improved luminal magnetic coupling system for providing access directly to a lumen within a subject. The present invention uses magnetically coupling internal and external magnets to provide an inexpensive, precise and technically achievable system and method.